BBW
A cuddly company, a tougher read
Build-A-Bear Workshop came out with first-quarter results and used the moment to nudge up its full-year 2026 revenue expectations. The company now sees sales landing between $530 million and $550 million, which is basically management saying, “We’re still growing, but don’t expect a parade of teddy bears and confetti just yet.”
Why investors cared anyway
Guidance is the part of the earnings story that usually matters most because it tells you what management thinks comes next. In this case, the market wasn’t exactly throwing paws in celebration — the stock was down 5.3% after the update. That suggests investors may have been hoping for a bigger raise, better profit trends, or just a cleaner beat-and-raise combo.
The bigger read-through
For a brick-and-mortar retailer, revenue guidance is a pretty direct signal about traffic, spending, and whether the brand still has some shelf life beyond nostalgia. If Build-A-Bear can keep nudging sales higher, that’s a decent sign its mall-and-store model still has some gas in the tank.
Big picture: the company is guiding to growth, but the market is acting like it ordered the deluxe version and got the standard bear.